First Light
by BelloftheSea
Summary: Edward is pulled away from Bella by an unexplainable force but he promised that he would find a way to return. So for eleven long years, she waited on Isle Esme, alone but for the daughter they didn’t think they could have. But now it's time to go home.
1. Prologue: Unexpected

**First Light**

_Edward is pulled away from Bella by an unexplainable force during their honeymoon, but he promised that he would find away to return. So for eleven long years, she waited on Isle Esme, alone but for their child – the daughter they didn't think they could have. But now, it's time to go home.

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**AN.** This story is an AU beginning during Breaking Dawn. For the purposes of this story, Renesmee is different than she is in the books – you'll see what I mean. This has a reason, which will be explained in future chapters. Please enjoy the story.

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I do not own them but am grateful for the opportunity to use them in the unleashing of my own imagination.

**Rating:** This story is rated T for mild language and possible scenes of sensuality.

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**Prologue: Unexpected**

I never expected to have children. That's not to say that I didn't want any. I just assumed that it wouldn't be possible, not with my husband being who and what he was.

So when I found out that I was pregnant with Edward's child, I was more than a little stunned. I imagine that he would've felt the same – if he'd been here.

We'd spent only one night together – the very first night of our honeymoon and certainly the most wonderful night of my life. But Edward didn't share my feelings on what occurred that night. All he could see were the bruises on my arms and chest. They really did look worse then they felt but that didn't matter to him. He wouldn't touch me again – not in that way. He was terrified of hurting me.

But apparently, that one night was all it took.

Of course, I didn't know right away.

It was seven days later that Edward was pulled away from me. I was in the middle of trying to get him to forget his inhibitions and give love making another try when he suddenly stood and was on the other side of the room before I could blink.

I called to him and he stopped, looking back at me with a pained, confused expression on his face. It's a look that I will never forget.

"Edward, what's wrong?" I asked.

He stared at me and then back towards the door with one foot poised in the air to take another step. "I don't know..." he whispered. His voice was strained as though he was struggling with something powerful. Now I was worried.

I closed the distance between us and wrapped my arms around his waist. I felt him shudder underneath my fingertips. "Edward, please. Tell me what's going on."

He brought his hands up around me – they were shaking – and buried his nose in my hair, breathing in my scent. "I don't know. I feel… it's almost like – almost as though I'm being pulled somewhere. It's strong too. Stronger then any thirst I've ever had for human blood – even yours. It's pulling me… pulling…"

He made to take another step toward the door but I clung to him tighter – not that I could do much if he really tried to leave but he made himself stop once more. "Pulling you where?" I asked, sounding desperate. I was desperate. I felt like I was losing him and I was.

"I don't know." The shaking was worse now and his words came out in sharp breaths. He sounded scared which made me terrified. "Bella, love. I can't fight this. It's too strong."

"Try!" I pleaded.

"I am trying. But it's only getting stronger every moment I stand here. I don't know what it wants or where it's leading me but… I don't think it means me any harm. I think I'm supposed to go."

"No! Edward."

"Listen to me Bella. It's going to be alright. No matter what happens, I promise that I will come back to you. Wait for me." And he kissed me soundly, with more passion than he'd used since that first night. But this was a kiss of desperation – a kiss of goodbye.

He pulled away after far to short a time and made for the door, only to force himself to a stop again at the threshold. He looked back at me one last time. "The combination for the safe is 36 – 18 – 21. Inside is everything you might need. I'll return as soon as I can. I promise. I love you, Bella."

"I love you too." I whispered, but he was already gone.

Just like that, my whole world was turned upside-down. I tried calling Carlisle, then the others one by one but received no answers. I kept trying until I fell asleep with a dial tone ringing in my ear. The next morning I tried again with the same results and I could only assume that they'd been pulled away in the same manner that Edward had.

I was surprisingly calm – not like the last time he left. This time, his love for me was not in question. This time he'd promised to return. And I would wait, no matter how long it took.

That next night, the pain started. It was in my lower abdomen – more intense then anything I had ever felt. For two days straight, I could barely move. Then the pains were gone, as though they hadn't been there at all.

Shortly after that, the nausea began. I'm not sure exactly when I realized that I was pregnant. Once I did, it was like time stood still. I wanted to rejoice – but there was no one there to share the joy. I wanted to cry – but there was no one to dry my tears. What do you do when you get the biggest news of your life but have no one to share it with?

You just keep living.

And that's what I did.

At some point I remembered the safe and the combination that Edward had told me. Inside, I found all the paperwork that I needed to make sure that I would be fully provided for while Edward and the Cullen's were gone.

I made the appropriate phone calls and also got an appointment with an OB/GYN on the mainland. I soon became aware that my pregnancy was further along then it should have been. I didn't say anything when the doctor set my date of conception to be several months prior to the actual date. I could only assume that had something to do with my child's father being a vampire. But everything else seemed normal. The baby was healthy. I was healthy.

I stayed on Isle Esme, waiting for Edward's promised return. Waiting to tell him that he was going to be a father. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. I never called my father or mother – how would I explain to them that Edward was gone? I felt horrible for disappearing on them without a trace, but what could I do?

I might've called Jacob. He would've come straight here if he knew I was alone and getting ready to have a baby. Of course, he probably thought I was a vampire by that point as the plan was for me to be changed sometime after the wedding – that could be cleared up easily. But to be honest, I didn't want him here.

Only one person belonged by my side right now and that was Edward.

I stayed at the hospital on the mainland for two weeks prior to and after giving birth. I had a daughter with green eyes and copper hair, just like her father. She was beautiful – seven pounds, four ounces – I named her Renesmee, after both of her grandmothers.

I returned to the island with my daughter and continued to wait. Only this time, I wasn't alone. Renesmee gave me purpose. There were some complications that arose with her health and I dealt with those as they came. I dedicated my every moment to her and set about documenting everything she did so that even though her father was missing these things now, he'd at least get a small piece of them when he returned.

And this is how things continued. Renesmee grew older and we were as close any mother and daughter could be. We only had each other. But I knew that my daughter needed more. Isle Esme was our home and she loved it here, but on every trip we made to the mainland I could tell she wanted to see more, know more. She knew the world through here books – she was an avid reader. But that wasn't enough. She needed to experience the world – to go to school and make friends and be like a normal ten-year-old.

And so, as I watched my beautiful daughter, so much her father's child, stare out over the horizon with wonder, I made the decision to leave Isle Esme – our home for the past eleven years.

I never expected to have a child. But I could never regret bringing Renesmee into the world. So beautiful, so intelligent, so brave and caring – she was my purpose. She was the first light of dawn that broke over the dark horizon and gave me hope for a new day.


	2. Homecoming

**First Light**

_Edward is pulled away from Bella by an unexplainable force during their honeymoon, but he promised that he would find a way to return. So for eleven long years, she waited on Isle Esme, alone but for their child – the daughter they didn't think they could have. But now, it's time to go home.

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**AN.** There was originally supposed to be more to this chapter but certain parts ended up being longer then I planned. Thank you to all of my reviewers. I'm not one to beg for reviews but I will say that those who review will have the opportunity to receive a sneak peek at the next chapter.

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I do not own them but am grateful for the opportunity to use them in the unleashing of my own imagination.

**Rating:** This story is rated T for mild language and possible scenes of sensuality.

**POV:** This chapter is written from Bella's point of view.

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**Chapter 1: Homecoming**

"Mom, seriously. Can't you just tell me where we're going?"

I laughed. Renesmee had been asking me this since we left the airport – in Chicago. I'd decided to take the scenic route to get home, allowing Renesmee to see as much of the country as possible. I knew she was enjoying it, but she was also anxious to find out where we were going to be living.

I responded to her question the same way I had every other time she'd asked, "You'll find out when we get there, Renesmee."

She pouted but she knew I wouldn't give in and she couldn't pretend to be upset for very long anyhow – not with all the new sights she was seeing. After a minute she turned around in her seat to dig through one of the bags in the backseat. A moment later she sat back down, holding her prize.

The camcorder was a constant presence in our life. Renesmee had once joked that it was like a third member of our family. It went everywhere we went, always ready to record at a moments notice.

When Renesmee was a baby, I seldom turned the machine off. Sometimes I would just leave it on, pointing at wherever she was playing, or eating, or sleeping. It recorded her first word while I was out of the room. It captured her first steps, her first birthday, her first lost tooth, her first everything. And then came seconds and thirds and so on. Two hundred DVD's worth of precious moments lined one wall of our house on Isle Esme.

When Renesmee was six, she decided that she'd had enough of being the only one on camera and taught herself how to use the camcorder. She was a natural with the thing – unlike I'd ever been. She could always capture the best moments from the best angles with all the lighting just right. I don't know how she did it. From that point on, it became her camcorder. She wrote, directed, and produced her own movies – from stuffed animal soap operas to fully fledge documentaries about the family of tamarin monkeys that lived on our island. She'd even posted some of them on Youtube.

Now she was documenting 'Our Journey Home' as she was calling it. At first, I thought it was a strange title for her to use. She didn't even know where we were going but she'd already accepted the place as home. But she'd explained that it didn't matter where we were going because as long as we were together, we'd be home.

Renesmee was always saying things like that – deep, meaningful things like you might read in a book. I didn't know if she got it from reading so much or if it was just her, but I did know that she believed everything she said with her whole heart and lived it out everyday.

Now she held up the camcorder and turned it on. She focused on the road directly ahead of us and then widened the shot to capture some of the surrounding forest – basically, everything that could be seen through the windshield. She continued to film as she spoke.

"Our Journey Home – Day 12." She began. I'd set a leisurely pace for this trip. We could have made it easily in three days – heck, I could have just gotten a flight straight to Seattle – but this was for Renesmee. So we took the long way and made countless stops at interesting sights and attractions. But our trip was almost over. We'd be arriving today – although Renesmee didn't know that.

"This morning we set out from Seattle, continuing into the Olympic Peninsula. For breakfast we stopped at McDonalds." She directed the camera towards the McDonalds cup in the cup holder, like she was documenting proof that we'd actually gone. I hadn't wanted to.

"Mom said that the food there wasn't very good and that it was really bad for you. She didn't want to go but I convinced her that fast food was part of the American experience and so I had to have some. I'll admit, it was pretty greasy. But that Egg McMuffin was really tasty."

Now she pulled out our map book where we were marking the roads we took. Focusing the camera on the page, she followed our path with her finger. "At nine o'clock we passed through Port Angeles. It's not a big city but it's nice. We passed a restaurant called Bella Italia. I liked that because it had Mom's name in it."

For me, seeing that restaurant was a defining moment. It made this trip, this journey home, seem real for the first time. I realized that this was really happening. I was really going home, for the first time in eleven years. I wasn't sure whether to be excited or scared. Soon I'd be seeing more familiar sights and faces, and I knew the memories would come flooding back. I wondered if I would be able to handle it.

"It is now nine-forty-seven a.m. Our current course is leading us through thick forest with large, ancient trees covered in green moss. Everything here is wet. It seems to be raining most of the time. It's so different from Isle Esme, where the rain came and went with the seasons. Washington doesn't have a dry season. Just rain, all year round."

It certainly was different here. I remember hating the climate when I first came to live here, years ago. Now I welcomed it's familiar presence. Home was so close now. We'd be there soon.

"Soon we will approaching a town called Forks." Renesmee continued, pulling out her iPhone and quickly google-ing the town. "Forks, Washington. Population – three thousand, two hundred and twenty-one."

I smiled. The town obviously hadn't grown much in my absence.

"It's a weird name – Forks. I wonder why they call it that. I bet it has some history behind it." Renesmee said, putting her phone and the map away, but still holding the camera.

I honestly didn't know and I'd never really cared about the history of Forks beyond the legends of vampires and werewolves. But my daughter loved history and found little details of things to be fascinating.

Up ahead, I could see the forest thinning out to reveal the town. We'd be there soon. Now was as good a time as any to let her know.

"Well, I'm sure you can look it up in the library after we get settled in."

It took her a second to catch on to what I was saying. Then her eyes grew wide and she spun in her seat, focusing the camera on me. "What? You mean… seriously? We're staying here?"

"Yes, Renesmee. Welcome to your new home town – Forks." As I said the words, we crossed the city limit, marked by a welcome sign. There was a moment of silence and then Renesmee squealed.

"Oh my gosh! This is it! This is it!" She pointed the camera at herself, knowing that I'd want her to capture her own reactions. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is it. Forks, Washington. My new home town where I will be living. I'll be attending Forks Elementary School, right Mom?" I nodded and she continued. "Entering into the fifth grade. And next year, I'll be starting middle school and three years later I'll be going to high school. This is it, my friends. Our Journey Home is nearly complete but a new era in my life is just beginning."

We continued to drive through town as she filmed, pointing out and commenting on various things as we passed. "And here we have the only stop light in Forks. That's right, just one!"

I laughed at her antics as I turned off the main highway. I was glad that she liked it here and I knew that she would only like it more once she found out it was my home town. It was one of the things I had never told her before. There was so much I hadn't told her – so much I simply hadn't been able to say. But she was older now and she deserved to know the truth. Not all at once, of course. I'd take it slow, letting her know a little at a time, easing her into it. Well, easing myself into it anyway.

Coming to Forks was just the beginning.

Almost there. I started steeling myself for what would come next, rehearsing in my head what I was going to say. I wound down the familiar roads, not quite believing I was really here. Memories were coming at me from every where and I had to force my breathing to remain steady. Fortunately, Renesmee was too distracted by our surroundings to notice my sudden apprehension.

My hands tightened on the steering wheel. Just two more turns.

"So Mom, why Forks?" the camera was back on me. One more turn.

This one was easy and I'd been expecting it. "Well, sweetheart, Forks is a very special place, you see…"

I drifted off as I made the last turn. I could see the house ahead of me now. It looked almost exactly the same as it had when I last saw it eleven years ago, right down to Charlie's cruiser parked in the driveway. As the car brought us closer I could feel the pinpricks starting at the corners of my eyes.

"Mom?" Renesmee frowned slightly, peering at me over the top. I blinked back my tears knowing that I'd be shedding plenty today but not wanting to start quite so soon.

"Sorry, sweetie. Like I was saying. This is the town… where I met your father. And right here is the house where I lived." I pulled to a stop on the side of the road just in front of the house.

Renesmee's eyes darted back and forth between me and the house. She was surprised, not only by the knowledge of where we were, but also by the fact that I'd mentioned her father. We didn't often speak of him. She knew that it was painful for me to speak of him and so she held her curiosities at bay for my sake.

She knew some things about him, of course. I'd told her many times how wonderful and brave and talented her father was, and how much she looked like him, and that he'd loved me very much and would surely have loved her as well. She just didn't know the details – how and where we'd met, the things that led to our falling in love, what had really happened to him… that last one even I didn't know.

But she would know soon. Everything that I could tell her, I would. Even if it was painful for me, I'd find way to tell her. She deserved to know.

For now, she didn't press the issue of her father, choosing instead to focus on the house. She turned the camera towards it, capturing as much as she could from her seat in the car.

"Would you like to see the rest of it?" I asked with a playful smile, already knowing her answer.

"Uh, yeah," she replied cheekily and I laughed before unbuckling my seatbelt and getting out of the car. She moved faster then I did and was out and by my side before I shut the door. She wandered a bit, getting different shots of the house while I stretched out the kinks in my arms and legs that had developed in the last few hours of driving.

"Right up there is my old room." I pointed out the window on the side of the house. It was then that I realized the tree was gone. I bit my bottom lip as I stared at the empty place where it had once stood. That tree had been important. It was from that tree that… no, I couldn't think about that right now.

Renesmee had come back to my side. "This is so amazing, Mom. I can't believe you grew up here."

"Well, I didn't grow up here exactly." I corrected her. "I was born here, but I moved away with my mother after the divorce. I came here to visit with my dad during summer vacations and then during my junior year in high school I moved here. That was when I met your father."

She looked up at me, her eyes wide with surprise once more. That was the second time I'd mentioned her father in the past few minutes. But, once again, she didn't press it and I was grateful. I could do this – talk about him in little bits at a time. It wasn't so hard.

"So… I guess someone else probably lives here now, huh," she said looking at the police cruiser. "Unless grandpa's a cop?"

I grinned. "Actually, he is the chief of police here in Forks so you'd better be on your best behavior young lady."

"Really? I get meet him? Right now?" She was bouncing on the balls of her feet now and I reminded myself to have her cut out this part of the video so as to avoid motion sickness.

"Yes, you get to meet him. Just remember, he hasn't seen me in over eleven years and he doesn't know anything about you. Now, fix your hair before we go inside." I turned her so that she could use the tinted glass in the car window as a mirror but she frowned and pushed my hands aside.

"My hair's fine, Mom. Can we go now? Please?"

I sighed, giving into her begging. "Alright. Come on."

We approached the door slowly with me in front and her just a few steps behind, still holding the camcorder aloft to catch everything. When we got there, I took a deep breath. This was it.

I knocked soundly three times before letting my hand drop. Then I waited.

"Just a sec!" I heard a voice call from inside and my throat caught. That was him. That was Charlie and any second now he'd open the door and I be standing in front of my father for the first time in a very long time.

I heard the knob turn and then the slight squeak of the door on its hinges and then he was there, a coffee cup in one hand and the other resting on the door frame. He looked much the same as he had before, just older with more grey in his hair and a few more wrinkles around his eyes.

"How can I help…" he started, his voice exactly how I remembered it. Then he looked at me, really looked at me. The mug fell from his grip and shattered on the concrete, splattering coffee on both of our clothes, but I didn't notice and neither did he apparently.

"Bella?" he asked, his eyes wide in amazement.

I offered him a smile. "Hey, Dad."

The next moment, he was pulling me close to him in a tight hug and I was returning it, the tears finally pushing their way past my eyelids and spilling down my cheeks. It felt so wonderful to be in his arms. He hadn't held me like this since I was Renesmee's age and now here we were, after so long apart – father and daughter.

"Isabella." He murmured my name into my shoulder. He pulled back a bit so he could look at me. "Look at you." He smiled. "Look at you." Then he hugged me again and I laughed happily.

"I've missed you so much, Dad."

"I thought I'd never see you again Bella. Where have you been? No phone calls, no email… it's been eleven years."

"I know, Dad. And I'm so sorry. So much has happened – so much…" but I couldn't say anymore through my tears. I just held him close to me for a few moments.

"Mom?"

Charlie and I both looked up to see Renesmee standing behind us. I'd almost forgotten that she was there. She looked up at us from behind her camera, still catching every moment of our reunion.

Charlie frowned, confused and I knew that Renesmee was waiting for an introduction so I obliged. Wiping the tears from my eyes, I pulled my daughter forward and took the camera from her. She grinned at me and then gave Charlie her best, heart-warming smile.

"Dad, I like you to meet your grand-daughter. This is Renesmee Carlie Cullen."

His jaw dropped and if he hadn't already dropped his coffee, he would have then.

"My – my granddaughter?" His face was filled with awe and amazement as he stared at the grandchild he never knew he had. He lifted a hand and brought it to her face, running his fingers down her cheek and brushing them against her hair in wonderment. I watched as tears started to roll down his cheek, getting caught in his moustache.

"It's okay, Grandpa. Don't cry." Now Renesmee lifted her hand to brush the tears away from his face but she never got the chance. He swept her into a hug similar to the one he'd just given me. And they stayed there for a moment, holding on to each other. I was glad that I had the camera with me. This was a moment no one would want to forget.

Finally, Charlie pulled away, looking at both of us with a broad smile on his face. "Wow. I don't know what to say. This was really unexpected. I mean, look at you, Bells. You really are all grown up now. And a mother!" He looked back at Renesmee. "You're beautiful, you know that?" he told her.

She laughed. "Mom tells me that all the time."

He looked between us once more then ran a hand through his hair. "Ah, where are my manners? Come on in you two." He glanced down at the broken mug at our feet and chuckled sheepishly. "Uh…Guess I should probably clean that up. But later. Come on. Inside."

Renesmee looked at me with a smile and I knew that she and Charlie would get along just fine. I returned the smile and we both followed him into the home that I had once shared.


	3. Fathers and Friends

**First Light**

_Edward is pulled away from Bella by an unexplainable force during their honeymoon, but he promised that he would find a way to return. So for eleven long years, she waited on Isle Esme, alone but for their child – the daughter they didn't think they could have. But now, it's time to go home.

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**AN.** Sorry for the long wait. What can I say? Went off to college and had little time to write. I'm going to make more of an effort to squeeze in writing this semester. Maybe…

Preview to all reviewers. Sorry I didn't get one out this time. I figured you'd all be happy with me just getting the next chapter out quicker.

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I do not own them but am grateful for the opportunity to use them in the unleashing of my own imagination.

**Rating:** This story is rated T for mild language and possible scenes of sensuality.

**POV:** This chapter is written from Bella's point of view.

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**Chapter 2: Father's and Friends**

I sipped at my coffee, grinning at the taste of store brand coffee from the local Forks grocery. It wasn't anything like the South American blends I'd had during my years on Isle Esme, but it familiar in a nostalgic, homey kind of way.

"I really love what you've done with the place Dad," I commented, looking about the kitchen from my seat at the table.

As Charlie had led me and Nessie into the house, I'd taken note of the changes in the house I had called home for those few life changing years. Although the outside had looked relatively the same, the interior was drastically different. The living room had been repainted and was now hung with various pictures and tapestries. I'd recognized a few of the photos of myself and my dad but hadn't looked too closely at the rest. The couch had also been replaced, although Charlie's old recliner was still where it used to be. A newer, bigger, flat screen television hung on the wall. Naturally, Charlie would never give up his sports.

The kitchen was an even bigger change. It looked as though it had been completely remodeled which surprised me since Charlie had never been much for cooking. That had sort of become my job when I moved to Forks. The kitchen looked really great with new cabinets and appliances. It was really nice. It just wasn't Charlie.

None of the changes seemed like him at all. Charlie had never been one to change things just for the heck of it – that was more my mom's territory. No, my dad was comfortable with his life and saw no reason to mess with it. For him to redecorate the house this drastically just wasn't him. Not to mention, the whole place had a sort of feminine feel to it. I was really confused now.

I looked to Charlie, waiting for an answer. He sort of shrugged as he looked around the remodeled kitchen with a half smile on his face. "All this? That ain't me. It's all Sue's doing."

I frowned. "Sue?" I mentally ran through my list of people I knew in Forks. The only Sue I came up with was Sue Clearwater, Seth's and Leah's mother. But why would she have redecorated Charlie's house. "Sue Clearwater?" I asked, seeking clarification.

Charlie blushed. My dad actually blushed. I was dumbfounded.

Rubbing the back of his neck he answered me, sounding embarrassed. "Yeah. Well, actually, she's Sue Swan now."

If I was dumbfounded before, I was flat out flabbergasted now. I'm sure my jaw must've hit the table.

My dad, Charlie Swan, police chief in nowheresville, Forks, Washington, had gotten remarried. I couldn't believe it. Who'd have thought…

"So she's my grandma?" Renesmee asked, looking up hopefully at her grandfather. That was my daughter, always eager to meet new people.

Charlie smiled at Nessie. "Yeah, I guess so kiddo."

I finally snapped out of it and picked my jaw up of the table. "Wow. Dad that's… I mean congratulations. That's great. I'm so happy for you. Oh gosh, Dad. I… I wish I could have been there."

And suddenly I felt really guilty. Had I really been that selfish? How could I have stayed there on Isle Esme for so long without so much as a phone call or an email to my Dad to let him know I was alright, that I was even alive? He'd fallen in love and gotten married and I hadn't known anything about it. What else had happened while I was gone? People I knew, loved ones, friends, could have moved, gotten married, died, all while I was tucked away on my private island waiting for someone who never came.

"I wish you could've been there too, Bella, you and Renesmee. But you're here now and that's what matters." Dad said. But I could see the questions in his eyes. Where was I? Why hadn't I called? I wasn't sure how to answer these questions except to tell him as much of the truth as I could. That was my plan anyway. Change the story a little but keep it as close to the truth as possible. I was a horrible liar.

"Grandpa?" Nessie said, standing up from the table and clutching her camera to her chest.

"Yeah kiddo?"

"Is it all right if I go look around? I want to get some pictures."

"Sure, go ahead."

Nessie smiled and trotted off into the living room. I smiled back and rolled my eyes. I knew what she was doing. That girl was too observant. She'd seen that I needed to talk to my dad privately and so she'd made herself scarce so I could. I knew I had the best daughter in the world.

Charlie and I sat quietly for a few moments after she left, sipping our coffee. Charlie was the one to break to silence.

"She's a great kid." He said conversationally but I knew he was just leading up to the bigger questions that he was uncomfortable asking. That was his way.

I smiled. "Yeah, Renesmee is amazing. I couldn't have asked for a better child."

"She looks like her father. But I can see a lot of you in her too." I only nodded. After a moment Charlie continued. "So where is Edward anyway? Up at that big house, unpacking?"

My breath caught at the mention of his name. This was going to be harder than I thought. But I had to do it. Taking a deep breath, I went into my carefully thought out, close to the truth explanation.

"Actually, Dad, I haven't seen Edward since… since before Nessie was born." I paused, letting that information sink in before I went into the rest.

"Wait… what?" Charlie stared at me, confused for a moment. Then his eyes narrowed. "You mean he… that son of a-"

"Dad, please!" I cut him off, knowing Nessie was in the next room.

Charlie took a breath and lowered his voice. "He left you? I'll kill him. I'll-" I had to stop him again as he stood up, looking like he was ready to hunt down my missing husband and actually murder him.

"It wasn't like that, Dad. Something… something happened. Please, just let me explain." I gestured for him to sit back down.

He stared at me for a long moment before returning to his seat. "Something happened, huh?" he still sounded skeptical. I sighed and nodded, looking down at the table. When I looked back at my father, his face had softened and worry suddenly creased his forehead. He reached across the table to rest his hand on top of mine. "Bella? He's not… I mean, is he…?"

His question trailed off and I looked at him in confusion for a moment before it sunk in what he was trying to ask. _Is he dead?_

"No!" The word came out spontaneously, but then I stopped. I knew there was a possibility, however small, that Edward was… dead. But for the past eleven years I'd held onto the voice in my head that insisted he was still alive. That hope was all I had left. But I didn't really know, not for sure, and I told my father as much.

"I mean, I hope not. I don't entirely know what happened to him. That's the worst part I guess, not knowing…"

"What happened, Bells?" The anger and suspicion were gone from Charlie's voice, replaced by concern.

I took a deep breath and began.

"We were on our honeymoon, on an island off the coast of Brazil that Carlisle owned. Everything was going great. Then one night Edward got a weird call. I don't know what it was about but it freaked him out. I'd never seen him so scared. He wouldn't tell me what was going on, only that he had to go deal with something and that I couldn't go because it was too dangerous. He said "They" didn't know about me and he wanted to keep it that way. He told me to wait there on the island. He promised that he'd come back. And then he just left. He didn't even bring anything with him."

It was as close to the truth as I could get. I knew it was kind of farfetched but then again, so was the truth.

Charlie stayed silent for several minutes after I'd finished. "I don't know Bella," he said finally. "It all sounds sort of sketchy."

"I know." I conceded.

"The rest of the Cullens vanished too; just disappeared one night."

I nodded. "I figured. I tried calling them after Edward left, but no one answered. I guess they went to help Edward with whatever it was."

Charlie was quiet again. Then he looked at me seriously. "Bella, why didn't you come home?"

I shrugged. "Edward told me to wait for him." It was the truth. I knew it sounded crazy, but I'd been determined to wait.

"For eleven years? You were pregnant Bella! Then raising a child by yourself, on an island?"

"I didn't want to leave. Besides, it wasn't so bad. I went to a hospital on the mainland when Nessie was born. I had plenty of money in Edward's bank accounts. I didn't even have to work. I devoted all my time to raising Nessie. We were happy there."

"You could have at least called someone. Let us know what was going on. Do you have any idea how worried I've been? You get married and then you just vanish? Now you turn up out of the blue with a daughter and no husband? I don't get it Bella."

"I know, Dad. And I'm sorry. I guess… I guess I just didn't want anyone to know. I mean, what would people think if I came back from my honeymoon alone, pregnant, and with no idea where my husband or his family were. So many people were already against my marrying Edward. I didn't want people to pity me. I didn't want people whispering behind my back. And I believed Edward when he said he'd come back. He… he promised." I sniffed and my eyes stung as I blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall.

"He left you before Bella. How do you know…?"

I shook my head. "No, Dad. It wasn't like that time. You didn't see his face. He was terrified. Besides, he loved me. I know he did. Whatever happened… he didn't want to leave me. It wasn't his choice."

"Mom, you alright?" Nessie said, coming back into the kitchen. I wiped the tears from my eyes and looked over at my daughter.

"I'm fine sweetie. You all done taking pictures?"

Nessie eyed me carefully for a moment before nodding and holding up her camera. "Yeah, the memory card's full. I'll have to clear it out once I unpack my computer."

"Speaking of unpacking, we should probably get going. It'll take us the rest of the afternoon to get the car unloaded."

I stood and grabbed mine and Charlie's empty coffee mugs, taking them to the sink and rinsing them out before putting them in the dishwasher.

"Bella," Charlie said, standing up behind me. "Why don't you and Nessie stay here? Seth's been using your old room, but he can always move back to the Res. He stays there most nights anyway."

I turned and smiled at my father. "Thanks Dad, but I'd really like Nessie to know where her father lived. She never knew him and I want her to have a part of him to hold on to." I found myself blinking back tears again. "And I'd like a little more of him to hold onto as well."

***

Once I had made the decision to come back to Forks, I'd taken steps to make sure things would be ready for us. One of the first things I'd done was hire a landscaping and home cleaning service to clean up the Cullen house.

I knew I wouldn't be able to handle coming home to find the lawn overgrown and dust all over the house. It would be hard enough finding it empty – no Alice picking out my clothes, no Emmet cracking jokes about my clumsiness, no Jasper sitting quietly, no Rosalie rolling her eyes, no Esme making too much food for me to eat, no Carlisle sharing his wisdom, no Edward… no Edward.

Nessie and I had left Charlie's house a little after noon. Charlie had asked us to come to dinner the next night when Sue and Seth were home. They'd both been at the reservation all day. He'd also said that he'd kept my old stuff when they cleaned out my room for Seth and that he'd bring it over later.

After a quick lunch of sandwiches from the minimart, Nessie and I had gotten back on the road for the short trip to the place we would now call home.

The service had done a good job. The long driveway was cleared and the lawn nicely mowed. The interior looked exactly as it had when I left. Nessie had been thrilled the moment she saw the place. She'd immediately set off to explore the house, inside and out.

Meanwhile, I'd slowly made my way through the living room and up the stairs. I was crying before I opened the door to his room. By the time I sunk down on the bed I was sobbing.

Nessie came in and I pulled her into my arms. Soon she was crying too. Neither of us had to say anything.

We stayed there for nearly an hour. Then, after drying our tears, Nessie and I had unloaded the car and started unpacking. Nessie would be taking Alice and Jasper's room. I'd be in Edward's of course. We hadn't spoken much as we unpacked. Nessie knew I needed this time to get used to being here… without them… without him.

I'm still not entirely sure how I ended up with such a wonderful daughter.

It was now nearly dinner time. I was in the kitchen making a quick meal of macaroni and cheese and green beans. Nessie, meanwhile, was in the dining room, uploading the images from her memory card to her computer.

I was surprised when there was suddenly a knock at the front door. Who would come way out here so late? Dad said he wouldn't bring my stuff by till later. No one else knew we were here.

"I'll get it!" Nessie called. Frowning, I quickly turned off the stove so that the food wouldn't burn and then headed out into the living room to see who was here.

Nessie stood by the door with it open just enough for her to look through. I couldn't see who stood on the other side. But I heard a voice that was far too familiar and I felt my face light up with a bright grin.

"I'm an old friend of your mom's. Is she here?"

"Jake!"


	4. Imprint

**First Light**

_Edward is pulled away from Bella by an unexplainable force during their honeymoon, but he promised that he would find a way to return. So for eleven long years, she waited on Isle Esme, alone but for their child – the daughter they didn't think they could have. But now, it's time to go home.

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**AN.** Yeah, so, writing fanfiction and college don't mix very well. It's summer now but I'm not making any promises about updates. I've got a job and a billion scholarships to apply for.

Preview to all reviewers.

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I do not own them but am grateful for the opportunity to use them in the unleashing of my own imagination.

**Rating:** This story is rated T for mild language and possible scenes of sensuality.

**POV:** This chapter is written from Jacob's point of view.

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**Chapter 3: Imprint**

"Somebody's been here." Seth said as we pulled up to Charlie's house. I nodded smelling the air as I stepped out of Seth's beat up old truck. There was something about the unknown scent, well, scents actually. There were two. One was extremely familiar although I couldn't quite place it. The other was strange, also kind of familiar but different – sweet, though not overwhelmingly so. I frowned as I tried to figure out what I was smelling.

Meanwhile, Seth dug in his pocket for his house key and then opened the door. We were both surprised to be greeted by two cardboard boxes, a suitcase, and a rocking chair, which were sitting against the wall in the foyer. I knew these items. I'd helped pack them and move them to the attic when Seth had moved in to Bella's old room. But what were they doing here?

"Charlie?" Seth called out. "I'm home! Jake's with me."

"Oh, hey boys." We both turned to see Charlie's legs at the top of the stairs. The upper half of his body was blocked from view by another large box which teetered dangerously in the police chief's arms. I dashed up the stairs and caught the box just as it threatened to throw him off balance.

"Woops! I got it, Charlie." I hoisted the box up onto my shoulder and carried it down the stairs for him.

"Thanks Jake," he replied, following me down. After I put the box down with the others, I turned to see him rubbing his shoulder. Charlie wasn't weak by any means, but he was pushing sixty now and his shoulder had been bothering him a lot since he got shot a few years back. Sue had been trying to convince him to retire but Charlie loved his job and he loved helping people, so he stayed in. Still, he wasn't supposed to be lifting anything heavy when he didn't have to. So the question was, why was he getting all of Bella's old stuff out?

I frowned as I looked at the old stuff. No one had heard from Bella in eleven years, not since she'd left for her honeymoon with that bloodsucking leech. It still angered me to think about it. She was surely dead by now. Even if she still walked the planet, she was dead. He'd killed her and I'd been powerless to stop him. After the rest of the leeches disappeared, we all knew what had happened. What a bunch of cowards. They'd run off instead of accepting the consequences of breaking the treaty.

When Charlie married Sue and Seth moved in to the house, I'd volunteered to pack Bella's room. Charlie hadn't wanted to do it. He was clueless as to what had become of his daughter. So I'd done it and it had been like a funeral. I didn't cry or let myself dwell on what could have been. She'd chosen this. She'd turned her back on me and chosen him, chosen death. So I packed away everything that had once been a part of her, said my goodbyes, and closed the door on that life.

I'd tried not to think about her at all over the past eleven years, but she still crept into my thoughts especially at Charlie's house, or the beach, or any other place that we had spent a lot of time together. It helped that Sue redecorated but the memories still popped up all the time.

And now Charlie had dragged all of this junk back out. I stared at it and felt a thousand different emotions boiling up inside of me. I latched onto the one which I was the most familiar with – anger. Anger at her, at him, at myself.

I started to growl softly until Seth put a hand on my shoulder to snap me out of it. Luckily, Charlie seemed oblivious to it. He'd moved into the kitchen and was getting a glass of water. We followed him.

He set his glass down and turned to look at us. It was then that I noticed an odd light in his eyes that I hadn't seen in a long time. He was smiling widely and he seemed almost… younger.

"You boys aren't going to believe who showed up today." He said, grinning widely.

"Oh yeah? Who?" Seth replied, grabbing an apple of the table and hopping up to sit on the counter.

"Off." Charlie said, smacking his step-son lightly upside the head. Seth just grinned and jumped down, finishing off his apple in two bites, core and all.

Meanwhile, my mind had gone into over drive, putting the pieces together. The scent, the boxes, Charlie's smile… "Bella?"

"Yeah! How'd you know? Guess the boxes gave it away, huh?"

"Wait, Bella's back?" Seth said, excitedly.

My mind was still reeling. If Bella was back then surely the bloodsuckers were too… and Bella was one of them. Only, she'd come to visit Charlie today. And her scent didn't smell like a vampire. Of course there was that other scent with her but that didn't smell quite like a vampire either. It was sweet but not that sweet. What did this mean? And what were we going to do now?

"Yup. She showed up this morning, out of nowhere. Surprise of my life. And there's more. Seems I'm a grandfather."

That snapped me out of my thoughts. What…? Seth had been about to say something else but that last bit of news had apparently dumbfounded him as well. He looked over at me as though I held all the answers. I just shook my head. I had no clue. As far as I knew, vampires couldn't have kids.

"Bella's got a kid?" I asked Charlie. He nodded.

"Renesmee Carlie Cullen. Named after all four of her grandparents. She goes by Nessie though. Ten years old. Sweet as can be. Just like Bella was at that age."

After about a minute of silence in the room, Seth decided to show some semblance of tact by offering his congratulations. "That's really great Charlie." He laughed. "Or should I say Gramps? Ha! You really are an old man now."

"Oh yeah I'll show you 'old man." Charlie took a playful swing at his step-son which Seth easily avoided. They both laughed. I sat down at the table and rubbed my temples. This couldn't be happening. She was supposed to be gone. I wasn't supposed to have to see her again. I wasn't supposed to have to choose.

It had torn me up after the wedding. She was going to be a vampire and I had to decide whether or not my love for her over-powered my hatred for them. If they changed her, then they broke the treaty and we could kill them. But could I kill them? Could I kill her? I told myself it wouldn't be the same, that she would already be dead and I'd only be killing a corpse. But I'd never really convinced myself of that.

When they all vanished, I'd almost felt relieved. They were gone so I wouldn't have to choose. But now she was back and soon the whole pack would know. I'd have to choose sides and I didn't know if I could. And now she had a kid. I didn't understand that at all. I needed answers. I needed to talk to her.

"So they're back?" I said, breaking into Seth and Charlie's conversation which I'd lost track of.

Charlie scratched the back of his neck before answering. "Yeah well, it's only Bella and Nessie. Seems Bella hasn't seen Edward or the rest of the Cullens since the honeymoon."

My head shot up. "What!" He left her? He took her away, changed her into a monster, got her pregnant, and left her? What kind of a sick, bloodsucking, backstabbing monster was he? I knew this would happen. He left her before and now he's left her again.

"Now Jake, don't go jumping to conclusions. I thought the same thing at first but Bella says it's not like that and I trust her."

"What did she say?"

"Apparently he got some sort of call one night that freaked him out. He said he had to deal with something and told her to stay on the island they were at where it was safe. Something about 'them' not knowing about her and wanting to keep it that way. He promised to come back only he never did."

I stared at him. "You're not seriously buying that, are you Charlie? It's totally farfetched. Who's 'them' and why didn't Bella come home or at least call someone. It sounds to me like he was looking for an out and came up with a stupid excuse to abandon her. He left her before and now he's done it again."

"I know it sounds sketchy Jake but Bella insists that he didn't want to leave, that he was genuinely scared. Besides he made sure she was provided for. Left her access to his money and property." He sighed. "Listen Jake. If things did happen the way she said… chances are Edward's dead."

I scoffed at that notion. The only thing that could kill a vampire was one of my pack or another vampire. I stopped at that thought. There were other vampires out there, some who wanted the Cullens dead. Like those Volturi the Cullens were talking about. But they knew about Bella so they couldn't be the 'them' Edward had mentioned. Still, there had to be others. The Cullens weren't like other vampires and their differences might turn anyone against them. Was it possible that the Cullens really were dead? And if so, what did that mean for Bella?

Things weren't quite adding up still. I needed to go talk to her and find out the truth. Whatever she told her Dad would have been edited to leave out the supernatural. Surely she knew more than she had let on.

"Jake? You listening, son?" I looked up at Charlie.

"Yeah."

"Look, Bella thinks he's still alive somewhere. Whether or not that's true, I don't know. But just promise me you're not going to try to convince her otherwise. Let her hold onto that belief as long as she can so long as it's not messing up her life. We'll try to get her to move on if we have to but right now just leave her be."

"It's been eleven years, Charlie." Seth said. He was sitting on the counter again but Charlie didn't seem to notice.

"I know. But she's got a daughter to raise and she seems to be handling things pretty well right now. She's done well for both of them on her own. So, let's not interfere."

I nodded. Bella loved the Cullens. If they were dead, she'd be devastated. I thought back to how she'd been after they'd left all those years ago. She was a mess. I never wanted to see her like that again. If that meant letting her believe they were alive when the facts said otherwise… so be it. Of course, I still didn't have all the facts. I needed to see her.

"Charlie, when were you planning to take her stuff to her?"

"Tomorrow morning. Why?"

"Would you mind if I went ahead and took it all over there tonight? I want to go see her anyway."

"Yeah, that's fine. Go ahead. Just remember what I said, Jacob."

I nodded and got to my feet. "Can I borrow the truck, Seth?" He nodded and tossed me the keys. "I'll head over now then. See you later, Charlie."

Charlie grunted in response and Seth hopped down off the counter to follow me. We grabbed the boxes from the foyer and loaded them into the bed of the truck, closing the cover over top to keep the stuff dry. Just as I was about to leave, Seth stopped me.

"You sure this is a good idea, Jake? What if she's a… you know?"

Yeah… I knew. I wasn't sure what I was going to do. But I had to get this sorted out. I looked at Seth seriously. "Alert the pack. Let them know what's going on. But don't move in unless I call for backup. Bella won't try to hurt me. I trust her."

Half an hour later, I found myself standing in front of the Cullen house. For having been abandoned for eleven years, the place looked great. I assumed that Bella had a cleaning a landscaping service come out to fix the place up before she got here.

Stopping for a moment, I took a deep breath exploring the scents in the air. I immediately picked up on the two scents I'd smelled at Charlie's house. One I knew was Bella and the other I had to assume was her daughter. What I didn't smell was vampire. Bella's scent was still entirely human. The other smelled mostly human as well but sweeter, like I'd noticed before. Was it really possible to have some sort of human/vampire hybrid? I was about to find out.

Feeling better now that I knew Bella was still human, I approached the door and knocked. I was still nervous. What would she say? Would she be happy to see me?

"I'll get it!" a small, yet beautiful voice called from inside. Those three words sounded almost musical to my ears, like bells.

A moment later the door opened. I didn't see anyone at eye level, so I looked down and what I saw nearly made my heart stop. I know I stopped breathing. I felt like I'd had the air knocked out of me and then, all of a sudden, there was this warmth inside me.

I crouched down so that I could see her better. She was beautiful, an angel, a tiny fairy with golden hair and dazzling green eyes. She smiled and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I would do anything to make her keep smiling.

"Hi" she said softly in the same melodious voice I had heard before. "I'm Renesmee Cullen. Who are you?"

_Cullen._

I was startled out of my daze by that one word. Cullen, vampires, Bella, Renesmee… This was Bella's daughter… Bella and Edward's daughter. I looked at her again. The warmth was still there. I didn't want to look away. What was this feeling? Did I just…? No… it can't be…

She was waiting for an answer. The smile was leaving her face and she was starting to look worried. No wonder. I was staring at her like a maniac. I needed to pull myself together. I wanted her to smile again.

"I'm an old friend of your mom's." I finally said, after convincing my vocal chords to start working again. "Is she here?"

"Jake!" I tore my eyes away from the little angel in front of me to see Bella coming up behind her. I stood up as Bella swung the door open all the way and rushed towards me. I smiled. It was good to see her. Opening my arms I caught her up in a big hug.

Bella laughed and hugged me back. "Oh Jacob, I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, Bells." I put her down and stepped back so I could look at her. She looked different, older, though not that much. She was still beautiful. She looked more mature too. But it was something else… I couldn't figure it out.

I looked back at the little angel, then between her and Bella. Bella noticed my interest and drew the girl forward to stand in front of her.

"Jake, this is my daughter, Renesmee. Nessie, this is my good friend Jacob Black."

"Pleased to meet you," the angel said.

"It's good to meet you too." I shook her hand and then I knew.

Bella looked different because I perceived her differently. I no longer saw her as a love interest. There were no romantic feelings when I looked at her. No… now I saw her as a wonderful friend, a sister, and the mother of the most precious little girl in the world, my Nessie.

I gulped as Bella invited me inside. She was going to wring my neck when she found out.


End file.
